Division Library Academic Affairs Program Review Self Study
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- Addendum A MONTEREY PENINSULA COLLEGE Monterey, CA REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE
Summary Summarize and prioritize the PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT PLANS for improving or maintaining the quality of your program area. Include rationale for any plan. Distinguish between budget-dependent and budget-independent items. For the “rationale” column, indicate whether the PIP item is intended to improve one or more of the following:
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Addendum A MONTEREY PENINSULA COLLEGE Monterey, CA REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE LIBRARY AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER Ruth Metz Associates, Portland, OR January 6, 2009 CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 1. Findings and Conclusions 3. Recommendations 4. Timeline for Hiring a Director of Library and Learning Resources 5. Report 5. Purpose 5. Methodology 6. Findings 6. Current Conditions 6. Interim Administrative Structure 6. Library and Technology Center 7. Leadership Void 8. Administrative Perceptions of the Library 8. Future Vision for the College and the Library 9. Potential for an Effective Library Given the Institutional Vision 9. Scope of Responsibility 10. Maximizing the Effectiveness of the Library and Technology Center 11. Potential for Attracting an Effective Leader and Administrator 12. Conclusions 12. Need for a Leader 12. Help Needed for Recruitment 13. Time is of the Essence 13. Abilities, Skills, and Qualities Needed 14. Shore up the Interim Administration
18. In Conclusion 19. Firms Specializing in Library Executive Search 20. Exhibit A: Library Consultant’s Site Visit Itinerary 21. Exhibit B: Summary of Student Focus Group, December 4, 2008 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Findings and Conclusions Monterey Peninsula College has tried unsuccessfully for 2½ years to recruit a qualified Director of Library Services. It has been operating under an interim administration whereby three faculty librarians perform a share of the administrative duties in addition to their faculty assignments. The college administration commissioned this study to determine the optimum administrative model for the library. The concept behind the purpose and design of the Library and Technology Center is progressive and entirely consistent with the college’s three-year strategic agenda. That concept is: to provide a student-focused learning center with the library at its core. The library, its information literacy curriculum, the student learning programs, and the latest information and educational technology were meant to provide a seamless flow of services to students. The Library and Technology Center has the capacity to play a pivotal role in achieving the college’s three-year strategic emphasis: preparing to meet California’s basic skills initiative, developing its curricula to serve business and industry, and strengthening its transfer programs. As dismal as the California economy is at present, the change in leadership at the national level and its stated objectives for the nation’s economic revitalization holds a great deal of potential for the role of community colleges. However, the Library and Technology Center needs the right leader to develop its concept and deploy its assets effectively and efficiently. The best way to do this is to give a new Director of Library and Learning Resources the mandate to provide an integrated service program and the authority that will be necessary to accomplish it. The Director of Library and Learning Resources should be a 12-month administrative position at the Associate Dean level. The preferred candidate should have an ALA-accredited Master’s in Library Science. The Director of Library and Learning Resources should be responsible for all library and learning center support programs in the Library and Technology Center. This includes Academic Support which reports to the Vice President, Student Affairs. Further, the Director of Library and Learning Resources should have explicit responsibility for working with college offices that now offer or plan to offer technology-based learning support programs for students. The college leadership must let the parties in the building and college-wide know that this is the expectation. The Director of Library and Learning Resources will need both the authority and the leadership ability to bring about the optimum integration. It’s important to bring people on board with this as the recruitment is taking off and taking place. Whether all staff in the building report to the Director of Library and Learning Resources or not, all should be responsible for collectively developing a plan of service that is student-centered and that makes their services easily, conveniently, effectively, and efficiently accessible to the students. They may differ in their views as to the scope of this leader’s responsibility. However, most are open to a collaborative leader. There will be pockets of resistance. Nevertheless, the college leadership should insist. With the help of a library executive search firm, the college administration will be successful in its search. This time, there will be several things to recommend it:
Furthermore, the pool will be enriched if the college recruits among public libraries as well as academic libraries. The library has been barely maintaining its administrative operations. The college administration should not settle for up to six more months of the status quo at a time when it is preparing to expand its basic skills program, distance learning, and off campus centers. Instead, it should contract for the services of a seasoned interim director. The right interim director can mobilize the library, assist the Dean of Instruction, Liberal Arts, with these initiatives and the logistics of the search for a Director of Library and Learning Resources. He or she may also be able to lay the ground work for a fuller integration of the Library and Technology Center and a successful articulation with the incoming Director of Library and Learning Resources. Recommendations
PURPOSE
The Library and Technology Center includes four learning centers that heretofore have operated independent of the Director of Library Services. Nevertheless, the design and purpose of the Library and Technology Center and the vision of the current college leadership is for a seamless integration of its components for the benefit of students. To consider an administration of the library that ignores this purpose and vision would be counterproductive. METHODOLOGY I obtained information for my analysis through preliminary telephone interviews with the client and a review of relevant library and college documents. This was followed by a two-day visit to the campus to interview selected stakeholders and to see the Library and Technology Center and its operations. A list of those interviewed is included in Exhibit A. I examined data about relevant community college library and learning resources and spoke with several key informants. I conducted a student focus group while on campus. Though many of their comments were germane to the library, some spoke to other concerns not directly related to my purpose. Exhibit B, which should be of interest to the college administration, is a summary of that focus group. The recommendations at the end of this report are based on my analysis of current conditions and future prospects. The key considerations in my analysis were:
FINDINGS
Current Conditions Interim Administrative Structure The Monterey Peninsula College library is administered under the Dean of Instruction, Liberal Arts, by three faculty librarians, each with a share of administrative responsibility. This interim administrative structure began after the resignation of former Director of Library Services, Mary Ann Teed, about 2 and ½ years ago. It has continued through two unsuccessful searches for a new 10-month, faculty-status library director. The three faculty librarians split administrative responsibilities by budget, personnel, and building and technology. These responsibilities are in addition to their faculty assignments in the library: public services (Deborah Ruiz), technical services (Bernie Abbott), and electronic resources and instruction (Stephanie Tetter). These three faculty members work on a 10-month faculty contract. The director stipend of $1786.00 per year compensates each of them $49.61 per month for their administrative responsibilities. The Library and Technology Center The 65,000 square foot Library and Technology Center, completed in 2003, was purposefully designed to be a library and a learning center supported by technology. The intent was to achieve a “student-centered, high technology, information rich, collaborative teaching and learning center.1” The library occupies the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Library and Technology building, while four learning labs occupy the first floor: English as a Second Language (ESL), English Skills and Study Center (ESSC), the Reading Center, and the Academic Support Center. All but the Academic Support Center, which is under the Vice President for Student Affairs, are under the Dean of Instruction, Liberal Arts. According to the 2008 job announcement, the “Director of Library Services is responsible for managing all Library programs and services to meet the information requirements of the students and staff of Monterey Peninsula College.” The announcement also states that the Director of Library Services has the responsibility to “direct and coordinate facility operations and maintenance for the Library Technology Center building with appropriate District offices.”2 While the Director of Library Services is responsible for “providing leadership in planning, developing, and overseeing all aspects of library services”, no one is responsible for insuring an integration of library and learning centers in the Library and Technology Center. It appears that this is to be achieved through the collaborative effort of the faculty and staff occupants of the building. Whatever the reason for not assigning someone the responsibility for developing an integrated program of service from the Library and Technology Center, the college administration now has an opportunity to change course. It can make this part of the position description for the Director of Library and Learning Resources and fill it with the person who can lead the way. There may be pockets of resistance but mostly there is open-mindedness among library and learning center staff for a more effective, collaborative program of service to students. Leadership Void Students, faculty, and staff are generally unaware of how the administrative structure of the library influences them. However, their concerns about the library bespoke the need for the kind of leadership that has “fallen through the cracks” during the interim period. For example: more hours and more convenient hours including Saturday mornings, a collection that meets the needs of students, appropriately managing conduct in the building, and resourcefully managing the demands on classroom and other spaces in the Library and Technology Center. Having tried for 2½ years to operate without the leadership of a director, no library faculty, library staff, or college administrator interviewed questions the need for a single administrator for the library. Though appreciative of the faculty librarians for having served over the protracted interim period, college administrators and library staff acknowledge the need for a leader with the vision to make an integrated library and learning center a reality for the residents of the college district. If the silos of space are any indication of how successfully the Library and Technology Center’s purpose has been achieved, the report card is not good. Internally, there is an unspoken agreement not to talk about the reallocation or even rearrangement of space. The program occupants do not meet periodically to assess how the spaces are working for the students. Unless it occurs in their area, they tend to have blinders on when it comes to unruly behavior in the building, The learning center staff will not approach one another to discuss a more student-friendly flow. Changing the entrance threshold on the learning center floor is off limits because of battles between library and learning center staff who are no longer even working at the college. Administrative Perceptions of the Library College administrators perceive the library administration has been uncooperative concerning the use of classroom and lab spaces in the Library and Technology Center. They doubt that spaces are used with the frequency the library staff claim. Though they appreciate the Library and Technology Center building, there is also a residue of unhappiness that the former director may have held the building too close. Administration is frustrated that the Library and Technology Center hasn’t achieved the integration that it would like to see. The interim library administration believes the spaces are in use or are committed. They feel duty bound to protect the space, fearing that allowing other uses will gradually reduce the space for its intended purposes. Their reactivity around this issue contributes to the perception that they are uncooperative. This perception may be generalized to the library as a whole. These perceptions may undermine administration’s confidence in a library administrator to lead the way, positively and proactively. Meanwhile, others say that the campus doesn’t have a space problem; it has a scheduling problem. The tendency for faculty to schedule limited hours Monday through Thursday, said Administrative Affairs Vice-President Joe Bissell, impacts everything from parking to classroom space. Future Vision for the College and the Library The MPC leadership is intent on reversing a past pattern of enrollment decline by reaching out to the entire district. The college wants to establish strong relationships with business, industry, and the community, and provide the educational offerings suited to their current and future needs. The near-future strategic intent is to emphasize basic skills, career and technical education, and college transfer. According to College President Douglas Garrison, the library is “the central core and identity of the college”. As such, he believes the library should exemplify openness, inclusiveness, integration of learning and technology, adaptability to the dynamic nature of learning, and an attitude of “yes”. By an “attitude of yes” he means that staff is ready and willing to do what is necessary to effectively serve the college community, actively engaging with the college leadership. An “attitude of yes” means that staff enthusiastically and resourcefully brings the resources of the Library and Technology Center to bear in pursuit of the college’s strategic direction. The proposed reorganization of Academic Affairs is intended to align the institution with the college’s strategic focus. This is an ideal time to align the Library and Technology Center, as well, under the leadership of a Director of Library and Learning Resources. Potential for an Effective Library Given the Institutional Vision The Library and Technology Center is poised to become the kind of library envisioned by President Garrison. The venue is there: a well-appointed building with the space, learning resources, technology, programs, and staff. However, there is a void of leadership when it comes to the integration of these assets into a cohesive, seamless, efficient flow of resources and services for the students. For this to happen, there must be someone whose responsibility it is to ask the right questions. How effectively and efficiently does our program of service enable student achievement? How can we support or integrate the math learning lab for the benefit and convenience of students? How can we effectively support the strategic directions of the college related to basic skills, economic development, and the development of programs that create jobs for business and industry? How can we effectively and efficiently export our services to our educational centers and to our distance students? How can we import other learning options into our virtual space? What technology will it take? How can we be nimbly responsive to the changing needs of college’s market? The college administration has an opportunity to fill this leadership void just as it reorganizes Academic Affairs. With or without the reorganization, however, leadership from the Library and Technology Center is paramount. The concept that inspired the Center is entirely consistent with the college’s strategic direction. The college needs a Director of Library and Learning Resources who can develop this concept and the assets of the Library and Technology Center to its full potential. Scope of Responsibility The scope of responsibility, placement within the institutional hierarchy, reporting relationships, and compensation for heads of community college library and learning resources centers in California vary considerably. Depending upon the college, the library, typically called library and learning resources, can include:
Administrative titles typically include director of library and/or learning resources, associate dean, and associate vice president. Generally, this depends upon the size of the institution. Salaries vary according to scope of responsibility and the salary structure of the community college. The data shows that library/learning resources centers generally integrate several of these components, depending upon the institution. Each library/learning resources center is unique to its college. Thus, it is not useful to compare these positions. Rather, it is important to fashion the position for the circumstances of the particular institution. At MPC, the library is an institution within the college institution. By design, the Library and Technology Center houses that institution which, also by design is integral to the learning center concept. The public uses and borrows materials from the library. Students and prospective students use the college library and the community libraries in the district interchangeably. The building concept includes spaces for educational and cultural programs for the public. The library has a sizable following of advocates and is a magnate for donors, both new as well as those of long-standing. Its spaces were designed as venues for educational and cultural programs and events for the public at large, as well as for the students. It is both an educational and cultural institution with the potential to have mutually beneficial relationships with other educational and cultural institutions. Maximizing the Effectiveness of the Library and Technology Center The effectiveness of the Library and Technology Center can be maximized in two ways. First, it needs a leader who understands the purpose for which it was conceived and designed. This leader must be able to effectively influence staff in the building to embrace and to operationalize that role. He or she must be able to help the college administration, faculty, and staff integrate the most effective learning systems into a cohesive learning matrix for the benefit of students. Second, the community which supported in concept and with funding the construction of the Library and Technology Center should be engaged in a continuing relationship with the library. For many donors, the library as a community cultural resource was paramount. It is to the college’s advantage to maintain that community tie and to build on it with programming that benefits a learning community as well as a learning student body. The Director of Library and Learning Resources must be able to cultivate and sustain community relationships, both individual and institutional. Potential to Attract an Effective Leader and Administrator Two attempts to recruit a new library director failed. It is likely that several factors lead to this failure. The 10-month nature of the position and the consequent salary probably deterred applicants. For those career professionals who would seek such a position, the 10-month salary and faculty status would generally not be desirable. The experienced prospects, familiar with the year-round role and responsibilities of Director of Library Services would probably consider a ten-month faculty position unrealistic and a career demotion. While the position was posted widely in library and academic circles, there was no active recruitment by a designated scout. Both times, the pool of applicants was very small and barely qualified. There is much about the position as recommended that would be very attractive to eligible prospects. The purposeful design of the building as a learning center with a library at is heart, supported by technology, and actively engaged with the community will be very exciting to the right prospects. Apart from its very desirable location in Monterey, CA, the college leadership has a progressive vision for the college. It also has a president who believes that the library should be at the core of the institution. The Library and Technology Center is a new, well equipped, well appointed facility. It is the jewel of the campus and a source of pride for the community. In a student focus group during my visit, the students enthusiastically agreed that “we are super-stoked” to have the Library and Technology Center. I interviewed Kim Bui-Burton, Library Director for the Monterey Public Library and community member. Ms. Bui-Burton was on the search committee for the Director of Library Services for MPC. She has lived in Monterey for over 40 years. She was a MPC student in the 1970’s; her children have been MPC students as well. Ms Bui-Burton emphasized the importance of the library in the current economy for adults returning to school. She emphasized that the library is an important piece of the college districts educational and cultural infrastructure. She said that “the library is part of the solution wherever the problems are in our communities.” Ms. Bui-Burton said that the college has an important role to play in the cultural arts, public art, and with other cultural institutions, including the public library, museums, and the art community. She believes this cultural mission of the library will be one of the most interesting parts of the job for a new leader. She urges that the college administration not underestimate the importance of this mission in the scope of responsibility and its appeal in recruiting and choosing a first-rate leader. CONCLUSIONS Need for a Leader The college urgently needs a leader who can develop to its full potential the concept and assets of the Library and Technology Center. The concept that brought about the Library and Technology Center is progressive and full of promise. It requires a leader who can grasp the concept and develop it. Help Needed with Recruitment While the building may be unique, combining library, learning, and educational technology is not. Therefore, a suitable pool of applicants can be found. The location and the nature of the position will be very attractive to community college library/learning resources career professionals nationwide and to public library managers. According to library executive recruiters, the economy is making recruitment more difficult because people are reluctant to move. Applicant pools are smaller than usual, averaging 10-18, with about half not qualified. The recruitment process should include the public library sector, as well as academic. One place to look for strong candidates is at community colleges whose library/learning resources centers have achieved successful integration of library, learning resources and programs, learning centers, and educational technology. However, the college should also recruit among the public library candidate pool. The goal is to find a bright, energetic, and innovative library manager who can integrate and develop the Library and Technology Center. Time is of the Essence The time to do this is now. The college is moving ahead with its near-term strategic emphasis on basic skills, transfer programs, and development of programs for business and trades. The Library and Technology Center must catch up and gear up. The college should put the hiring of a Library and Learning Resources Director on a fast track. It can do this by hiring a specialized search firm to search out and recruit a highly qualified and proven set of candidates. Abilities, Skills, and Qualities Needed Candidates should have a Master’s in Library Science (MLS), significant library management expertise, and a track record of successful integration of library, learning resources, learning programs, and technology. They should have the intellectual qualities to engender confidence among the stakeholders in their ability to lead library and learning development. They also must have the interpersonal qualities to bring about the integration and development of the Center. In other words, they must be able to bring stakeholders on board. This position should be administrative, on a twelve-month contract, and at the associate dean level of the college’s salary schedule. The 2007-2008 salary range is $107,508 - $123,680. Bringing library and learning centers under a single administrator will be in the best interests of the college and students but it may not be without pockets of resistance. Nevertheless, it is important to insist for several reasons. The right person for the job will:
In catching up, the Library and Learning Resources Director should address these priorities:
Shore up the Interim Administration The library has been maintaining its administrative operations but barely. One of the three faculty librarians now administering the library will be on sabbatical until mid-August 2009. Another is planning to retire in 2009. The college is at too critical a juncture for it to limp along for the next six months. The hours of service, the aging technology in the building, the state of the collection, the development of the Marina Center and distance education support are all reasons to shore up administration. An interim director can also assist the Dean of Instruction, Liberal Arts, with the ground work for hiring and orienting a Director of Library and Learning Resources. RECOMMENDATIONS
1.1 Early in January 2009, the Dean of Instruction, Liberal Arts, in conference with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the college President should consider this report and decide on the recommended scope of responsibility, whether or not they will fill the position, and the approximate month they want the director to start work. The President may decide to confer with his cabinet on the decision, since it impacts Student Affairs. Once the decision is made, the Dean of Instruction should work with Human Resources to draft a suitable written job description. 1.2 By mid-January, 2009, the Dean of Instruction, Liberal Arts should work with Associate Dean for Human Resources and develop a job description for the Director of Library and Learning Resources. This should be consistent with the scope of responsibility as decided by the Dean, Vice-President, and President. The existing Director of Library Services job description could be the basis for the job description. However, it should indicate in the position description responsibility for the integration of the Library and Technology Center. Further, it should emphasize in the list of responsibilities the following:
1.3 By mid-January, 2009, the Dean, Vice-President, and/or President should bring the key stakeholders together to announce the decision and to answer questions. At that time or soon after, they could designate a facilitator for a meeting of stakeholders. As earlier noted, the recommended scope of responsibility may have pockets of resistance. Regardless, the devil’s in the details: a facilitated meeting can surface the details so they can be addressed. 1.4 By mid-January, 2009, an advisory search committee should be in place, composed of at least:
2.1 By mid-January 2009, having outlined the work desired from a search firm, the Dean should request proposals from 2 or 3 library executive search firms. A list of firms specializing in library executive searches is included below. 2.2 By January 31, 2009, the Dean of Instruction, Liberal Arts, should contract for the services of a specialized library search firm. The search firm would work on her behalf to aggressively recruit a qualified pool of candidates for the position.
IN CONCLUSION The Library and Technology Center, is an exceptional venue for providing student-centered learning support of the highest caliber. The missing ingredient is the leadership dedicated to this purpose. By proceeding with all deliberate speed as recommended, the college can insure that the Library and Technology Center achieves its full potential at a critical time for the college. FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN LIBRARY EXECUTIVE SEARCH June Garcia 1195 S. Harrison Street Denver, CO 80210 june@junegarcia.com 303-522-2225 (phone) 303-757-0669 (fax) Dan Bradbury Gossagesager.com 4545 Womall Suite 805 Kansas City, MO 64111 Telephone: 816-531-2468 (and fax) danbradbury@gossagesager.com Miriam Pollack & Associates 1066 Shermer Road Northbrook, IL 60062 847-272-5011 Phone and fax
EXHIBIT A: LIBRARY CONSULTANT’S SITE VISIT ITINERARY
EXHIBIT B: Summary of Student Focus Group, December 4, 2008. Students say they are very happy to have the Library and Technology Center. “We are super-stoked to have it [the Library and Technology Center].” It is the place students want to be because of the group and quiet study spaces, the café, the computers, and the beauty of the facility and its surrounding space. Students complained about excessive talking, cell phone use, and on the 1st floor shouting, inappropriate language which is especially problematic when students have children with them. They say behavior is sometimes disrespectful. They say that staff back down when students challenge their authority. Students would like to see a much better library collection, including current textbooks, required and suggested course readings, and for convenience and because local public library collections are spare, selected popular non-fiction and fiction. “Why is it”, said one student, “that all the books we need are not here?” Students protested vehemently about what they called the scam of textbook sales on campus. “For the first time, I am paying more for text books than for tuition”, said one student. “At the bookstore, I pay $180 for a textbook, resell it to the bookstore at the end of the semester for $20 and the bookstore resells it for $180. It’s a scam”, said another student. “I buy my textbooks on line or not at all because they are so expensive and except for math classes I can get away with not buying them at all and do fine in the class”, said another student. About the required library course 50, the current course description claims that it is an online course yet requires on site visits. Students asked that the course instructor either change the course description or eliminate the onsite requirements to bring the course description in line with practice. Students were dissatisfied with the rechargeable debit cards for photocopying and computer printing. The main complaint is that students have to buy a new card when they have left an unspent card at home and so can end up with several cards. They wonder if there is a more convenient way to keep track of charges such as being able to maintain an account that accumulates printing charges as a part of their library account, student account, or other periodic statement. Directory: senate senate -> Program changes weber state university senate -> California state university, long beach college of the arts department of theatre arts senate -> S. Rep. 105-325, S. Rep. No. 325, 105th cong., 2Nd sess. 1998, 1998 wl 604018 (Leg. Hist.) senate -> Georgia Perimeter College Faculty Senate Curriculum Proposal Cover Sheet senate -> Draft georgia Perimeter College Faculty Senate Curriculum Proposal Cover Sheet senate -> State Capitol Week in Review senate -> State Capitol Week in Review senate -> District 35 Senator Floyd L. Griffin, Jr Download 1.03 Mb. Share with your friends:
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